Basketball
• Seattle City Council approves new arena deal: The Seattle City Council has approved a deal to build a new arena designed to lure the NBA back to town. Council members voted 6-2 to approve investor Chris Hansen’s plan for a $490 million arena near the Seahawks and Mariners stadiums south of downtown. The plan calls for $200 million in public investment, and Hansen has personally guaranteed to cover the city’s debt if the arena’s finances don’t work out. The arena could also house an NHL team. Changes in the plan still must be approved by the King County Council, and it must pass an environmental review.
• Point guard dismissed from WSU team: Point guard Reggie Moore has been dismissed from the Washington State University basketball team. Coach Ken Bone said Monday that the senior has been dismissed for violation of team rules. Details were not provided. Bone says Moore has been an important part of the basketball program for the past three years. Two years ago, Moore served a one-game suspension for marijuana possession.
Hockey
* Oilers ownership group in Seattle: With plans for a new arena in doubt, the Edmonton Oilers say they are considering other potential new homes for the team. Oilers owner Daryl Katz, team president Patrick LaForge and Kevin Lowe, president of hockey operations, are in Seattle for meetings about a possible relocation to the city. The Oilers said in a statement that while they hope to reach a deal with Edmonton on a new arena, the team is also listening to proposals from a number of potential NHL markets. The Oilers and the City of Edmonton had agreed on plans for a proposed $475 million arena that would begin construction early next year. But the arena and the Oilers’ future in the city were thrown into doubt earlier this month when the team told the Edmonton city council it wanted millions of dollars in new concessions from taxpayers.
Football
* Halliday would rather play Oregon at home: Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday said Monday that he would rather play No. 2 Oregon in Pullman this weekend instead of in Seattle. But this is Washington State’s annual game in Seattle, intended to appeal to the sizable alumni base in the state’s largest city, and a big crowd is expected at CenturyLink Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. “It’s not a true home game. It’s frustrating we don’t get to play the game in Martin Stadium," Halliday said in a conference call from Pullman. “I wish all of our home games were here. I don’t see why we have to go someplace else to play a home game." This year’s game with Oregon is expected to draw a huge crowd of Ducks fans, as well as WSU fans, which could push the crowd to more than 60,000, WSU officials have said.
— From wire reports
